Cuteness overcharge

The restaurant seats approximately 70 people and is bursting with Hello Kitty paraphernalia.

There is a Hello Kitty sink and mirror, pink cat-shaped dining booths, and toys are arranged on every surface with a huge, multi-tiered pyramid of stuffed animals at the restaurant's entrance.

Waiter Wang Bing has been working at the restaurant since its grand opening.

"I had other options for work, but I chose this job because I find Hello Kitty really interesting," he explains. "My friends don't think it's weird that I'm a guy and work here; they know it’s just my job."

One of the diners at the restaurant is Cao Ning, a 36-year-old male international trade manager.

"I take my female colleagues here for lunch sometimes because I know they grew up with Hello Kitty and still enjoy it," he says.

Meanwhile, his three female fellow diners, in their 20s, collapse into fits of child-like giggles, admitting they still buy Hello Kitty souvenirs, such as mobile phone cases and cosmetic bags.

The food

The menu at the Hello Kitty restaurant is an eclectic mix of both Asian and Western fare, featuring roasted meats, soups, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, pastas, fried rice and curries.

Waiter's recommendation is the cheese baked chicken chop (RMB 58, or US$9.3) with sides of pasta, French fries, and vegetables moulded in the shape of Kitty’s face.

But this was a disappointment -- the chicken looks gray and tastes stringy, the cheese is solidified, and tepid spaghetti sauce tastes like it came straight from a can.

Secured with cute Hello Kitty toothpicks, the mini burgers (RMB 88) weren't much better, with stale buns and a selection of four bland fillings -- beef, chicken, fish, and tomato and mozzarella.

The Hello Kitty Homemade Ice Cream (RMB 36), on the other hand, provides a tasty end to an otherwise terrible meal. A concoction of fluorescent fruit loops and layers of whipped cream, the ice cream was creamy, refreshing, and actually tasted homemade.

The pink-overload restaurant is also extremely popular with families, with plenty of toys for sale and an arts and crafts section full of kids.

When we ask six-year-old girl Jiang Yichen if she has been excited to come, her mother sheepishly admits that it has been her idea to bring the family for lunch as she was quite the Hello Kitty fan herself.